


Line in the Sand

by ani_bester



Category: Captain America (Comics), Invaders (Marvel)
Genre: April Fools' Day, Bucky Barnes Feels, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Toro Raymond is not a innocent as people think, War, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-13
Updated: 2014-04-13
Packaged: 2018-01-19 05:57:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1458466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ani_bester/pseuds/ani_bester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Toro is furious with Bucky, for reasons Bucky can't fathom. So he drags Toro off so they can hash this out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Line in the Sand

Bucky sat on his duffle bag, pretending to read a Batman comic. Not one of his better diversions given he’d made his opinion on Batman loud and clear in an argument with Toro. However, the comic had been all he could find, and poor ruse that it was, Bucky figured he could stare right at his target and go unnoticed. Anger had left Toro about as observant as a blind lookout on a submarine with a broken periscope. All the same, Bucky kept his nose to the comic until Steve disappeared with Jim and Namor to go over some combat plans or something. On any other day, Bucky would have gone along even if told to stay put. Today though, the brasses insistence that her and Toro were “just kids” provided him with the perfect opportunity to deal with the moody baby firebug without interference. He already had the location for a the private talk scouted out, he just needed to get Toro over there to it without alerting the whole camp.

Looking up from his comic, Bucky glanced at Toro, taking in the distance and any obstacles between them. Toro sat on the ground, back to Bucky. Fury stiffened Toro’s back, but the dirt he sat on didn't look like it was heating up. Decision made, Bucky set the comic down, then took one last look, making sure they remained alone. Seeing no one, Bucky stood and inched closer, as silent as if he approached an enemy combatant. Toro remained unaware until the last second when his head jerked up and he stared right at Bucky. When their gaze connected, Bucky pounced, slamming one hand over Toro’s mouth to keep the kid from alerting help, while he used the other to grip Toro’s upper arm like a vice and force Toro to move with him.

“You burn me and you’ll regret it,” Bucky snarled as he felt the hand over Toro’s mouth grow hot. It didn't take long-even with Toro struggling like a fish on a hook- to reach the secluded spot behind a stack of supply crates.

Keeping Toro muffled, Bucky knelt down so he could set Toro in the dirt, while still looming over him.

“Ok, we gotta talk. You are obviously sore at me, and you’re gonna tell me what I did so I can apologize and this can stop, and don’t you dare baby out on me and call for your pappy when I move my hand!”

Toro answered with a withering glare full of unspoken curses.

Sighing, Bucky removed his hand and left the rest up to Toro.

“Bastard!” Despite the venom, Toro spoke so only Bucky could hear.

Holding back a sarcastic reply, Bucky waited for Toro’s fury to wind down enough to hold a conversation rather than an insult exchange. 

Beneath Toro, the dirt began to smolder, but Buck held is ground. He watched Toro’s bare chest heave with each deep breath he took, and though it took longer than Bucky wanted, Toro’s breathing began to even out. When Toro stopped radiating heat like a crazed furnace, Bucky put a hand on Toro’s shoulder. It felt like touching concrete during a blazing New York Summer, but he kept his hand there until Toro looked up, eyes literally smoldering.

“You know what you did, you ass!”

Bucky felt his own cheeks flush. “Or sure,” he snapped, leaning until he faced Toro nose to nose despite the heat. “That’s exactly why I dragged you off and demanded you tell me what the fuck is going on. This all just academic, geez you’re-“ Bucky bit off his words and reminded himself three times he didn’t want to start a fight with Toro. He wanted answers.

Toro on the other hand appeared to be gunning for a fight. He slapped Bucky’s hand off his shoulder and scrambled to his feet, hands clenched into fists. “I’m what, Buck- gonna finish that?”

Bucky shook his head, fighting the urge to stand. “You’re stubborn and angry and I am really trying not to fight here, Tom.”

“What, afraid you’d get your ass kicked by a faggot?”

Bucky jumped to his feet and grabbed Toro’s upper arms, grip tight with suppressed rage. “I ain’t never called ya that. Not ever, and you tell me who said I did cause them and my fists are gonna have a conversation!”

“No one said you did,” Toro answered, eyes still blazing and voice rising. “You made it clear when you turned my- when you made fun of me!”

Toro’s words knocked Bucky back a step, and he used the pause to check his left and right, making sure they were still unobserved.

“Toro . . .” Bucky shook his head, glanced around again, then sat back down and motioned for Toro to join him. When Toro crossed his arms and remained standing, Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Get down here,” he hissed. “This is between us, not every leatherneck in the area.”

With a huff, Toro sat back down. Bucky let him take a few breaths, holding his own tongue until the fire left Toro’s eyes.

“Fine Bucky, explain yourself.”

Stalling a moment by rubbing the bridge of his nose, Bucky tried to think of everything he’d said and done over the last few days, looking for something that could have upset Toro so much, but everything seemed to be their normal banter. “Tom- Tom look, if one of my jokes made you think I was making fun of your preferences, than I’m really sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to tease you any more than if it was dames you were eyeing.”

“Oh, so you’d have what, sent Jackie over to pretend to want to kiss me rather than do it yourself?” Toro bit at his trembling lip. “’Cause it’s so funny to pretend to like someone as a joke.” Toro slammed a fist into the ground. “Your humor stinks, Bucky.”

For several seconds, Bucky could only stare at Toro, mouth agape and eyes wide. Toro’s accusation ran through his head, making the connection between Toro’s anger and Bucky’s offer to kiss him a few days ago. The offer to kiss him was the only thing that fit, and yet made no sense at all. Bucky shook his head then reach and put his hand on Toro’s knee.

Toro flinched, but didn’t move away.

“I offered to kiss you because I thought you wanted to kiss me. Why- what did I do to make you think it was a joke, Toro?”

“It was April Fool’s day!” Toro said, waving his hand up as though the gesture helped release his anger. “You hadn’t pranked me all day, what else would it have been?”

Toro’s arms remained cross, and his mouth the tight frown of fury, but Bucky heard a waiver of doubt, and saw that Toro had dropped his gaze down to the dirt beneath his still clenched hand.

Bucky felt laughter bubble within him and fought to keep his face free of it. “What else- a sincere offer to kiss you, you numbskull!”

Now Toro had to take a few moments to stare in silence. His mouth moved once or twice, but it took another few moments before he found his voice.

“You meant- that was-,” Toro’s cheeks brightened into a brilliant red and he began to rub his hands together. “Oh my god.”

A large part of Bucky wanted to be smug, or slap the back of Toro’s had or poke fun of the blunder Toro had made of things. Then, however, he thought about what Steve would do and instead moved so he sat beside Toro rather than across from him.

“You get I am not making fun of you for liking guys now, right?”

Toro nodded.

“And you get that I don’t and won’t ever think less of you.”

Toro nodded again.

“And that I will put worms on your pillow, hide your trunks when you go to get clean, cheat at cards to get your chocolate, and maybe try to get your help swiping Fury’s booze, but I wouldn’t ever pretend to like you just to laugh at you, ok. There are some lines I won’t cross Toro, and I gotta admit, I’m sore you thought I would, and sore at myself if I treated you so bad that you thought I would.”

Taking a deep breath, Toro looked up at Bucky. “Yeah, I get it Bucky.”

Bucky grinned at him. “Good then, that’s settled, but can I still tease you about having obvious crushes? Because when you stare at some dogface like you got beat over the head with cupid’s arrow, it’s going to be really hard not to say something. Heck, I’d tease anyone for that, even Steve.”

Bucky waited for some glimmer of humor to show in Toro’s eyes, something to indicate his efforts had won Toro over, but instead Toro looked down again.

“Why’d you want to kiss me?”

“I – well.” He scratched at the back of head a moment, going through his reasons and debating how honest he wanted to be.

He tightened his grip around Toro’s slimmer shoulders and leaned in very close to Toro so he could keep his voice low.

“You give me the same looks a gal gives if she’d be ok kissing me. You may have been for a while, but I’m dense and I only just noticed. And then – I don’t know- adrenaline, trying to make everything count, ego boost of being your first kiss- pick one. I knew you wanted to, so I offered.”

“But- I, you’re always with Victory Gals. Or eyeing ‘em at least.’

Bucky glanced around a few times, then shook his head. “I may be with just the gals, and I’ll be honest Toro, they turn my head a lot more and a lot easier, but I’d be a liar if I said no guy ever turned my head either, and well, you ain’t so bad to look at, which is good given what you insist on wearing. Or what you don’t wear I should say.”

For the first time during the conversation Toro’s cheeks reddened for reasons other than anger or humiliation. His lips twitched and Bucky could see the smile trying to break through. Bucky gave Toro another quick squeeze around the shoulders and the smile finally made an appearance.

“Ya think so?” Toro asked. “Really.”

“No, after all this I figured I’d start lying to you. “ Bucky reached over and ruffled Toro’s hair. “Yeah, you’re a looker, kid.”

That sat in silence a moment, Toro using one hand to smooth is black hair back after the destruction Bucky wrought. He gnawed his bottom lip and Bucky waited. Then, with a deep breath Toro turned so he and Bucky sat face to face.

“Offer still open?”

Bucky leaned so close his nose almost touched Toro’s. “Don’t see a reason for me to close it.”

Rather than moving closer though, Toro leaned back a little and titled his head to side. “Ok, but I can’t let you kiss me under false pretense, Bucky.”

“False pretense?” Bucky repeated, one eyebrow raised. “Explain, carny.”

After a look around the area, Toro put a hand on Bucky’s chest and forced Bucky to scoot father into the shadow of the crates around them. Then he leaned close, breath tickling against Bucky’s ear. “Ya won’t be my first kiss, poster boy.” Toro snorted. “Can’t believe you thought you would be.”

Bucky blinked as reality readjusted itself in his mind. “Really? Ok so where has this secret kissing been happening?”

“What do you think I do when you go off with a gal? Sat around and drink milk? You’ve been reading to many comics about me, Bucko. “

It was Bucky’s turn to snort and he nodded his head. “Ok, fair enough. You’re about as innocent as I am twelve. Just didn’t figure you were up to sneaking off for some –“

“Up to sneaking?” Toro shoved something in Bucky’s face and it took Bucky a few seconds to recognize his own combat knife. “You never give me enough credit for stealth Bucky.”

Coughing and fighting down a blush, Bucky swiped the knife back in a quick movement and jammed it back into the holster near his boot. “Was expecting to have to protect my stuff from ya for Chrissake, and c’mon, your powers make you pretty bad a sneaking, which that wasn’t by the way, that was pickpocketing.”

Shrugging, Toro leaned against one of the crates and Bucky leaned closer.

“Anyway, I think the point was about me kissing you and I think my ego can deal with not being your first.”

Rather than smiling though, Toro drew further from Bucky, and Bucky had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. “What now?” he asked.

Quiet fell between the two of them and Toro looked up, but his gaze fell on some point past Bucky. The quiet spread over Bucky like a wool blanket. He wrinkled his nose, and moved to snap his fingers under Toro’s chin, but before he could, Toro coughed and his gaze refocused.

“I don’t mind – I want to kiss you Buck, but- I.” Toro’s mouth moved like a fish on land for a moment and Bucky saw his hand tremble. Steadying himself with one hand, he placed the other against Toro’s cheek and tried to put himself between Toro and the rest of the world.

“But?”

“I- with the war and- well I wouldn't even buy unripened fruit right now, you know?”

It took a moment, longer than Bucky wanted to admit and then the reality of the war, of how everything could be over in one blast, or shot, came crashing down. Bucky’s bravado took a hit and he faltered for a moment. Then though, pushed every other thought away and surged forward, pausing only to give Toro time to duck away.

Toro didn’t move, so Bucky completed the kiss.

“Yeah, I get you, Carny,” he said, before kissing Toro a second time. “But I figure it’s all the more reason to kiss you now, rather than later.”


End file.
